In the brain, highly specific connections called synapses link nerve cells and transmit electrical signals in a targeted manner. Despite decades of research, how synapses form during brain development ...

Adolescence is widely thought to be a time when the brain trims away excess neural connections, refining circuits through synaptic pruning. New research now suggests this view may be incomplete.

The human brain's remarkably prolonged development is unique among mammals and is thought to contribute to our advanced learning abilities. Disruptions in this process may explain certain ...

When thinking, the human brain performs a true masterpiece of information processing: around 100 billion neurons communicate with each other via approximately 100 trillion connections. An ...

Researchers discover that the protein Adgrl2 uses alternative splicing to switch between building brain synapses and sealing ...

Co-written with Jai Liester. Silent synapses represent one of neuroscience's most fascinating discoveries—connections between neurons that lie dormant until activated by specific triggers. These ...

A dendrite – an extension of a neuron - from a 12-month-old human cerebral cortex neuron, grown from human stem cells and transplanted into a mouse cerebral cortex. Two human-specific genes, SRGAP2B ...

The way the brain develops can shape us throughout our lives, so neuroscientists are intensely curious about how it happens. A new study by researchers in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory ...

Just as pruning tree branches helps them grow better, a study has found that appropriately "pruning" neural circuits in the brain can actually improve learning ability and memory. A joint research ...

The communication network in the developing brain builds when neurons partner up to form contact points called synapses, ...